# dickens

/ˈdɪkənz/ (US) · /dˈɪkənz/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/dickens
Updated: 2026-08-15

## Senses

### 1. the devil (intensifier)

noun · CEFR C1 · Humorous · Archaic

a funny, old-fashioned word for 'the devil' used to show surprise or anger in a question.

For teachers: a euphemistic substitute for 'the devil', used as an intensifier in interrogative constructions to express surprise, frustration, or emphasis.

- Where the dickens did I leave my car keys?
- What the dickens is going on in the garden that is causing such a commotion among the neighbours?

Usage: Always used with the definite article 'the' and typically found in questions starting with 'who', 'what', 'where', or 'how'.

Teaching tip: This is very old-fashioned; students will encounter it in 19th-century literature or when someone is being intentionally funny and polite.

### 2. trouble or a mess

noun · CEFR C2 · Humorous · Archaic · British English

a lot of trouble, a loud argument, or a big mess.

For teachers: a state of significant trouble, a loud disturbance, or physical damage.

- The heavy storm played the dickens with our travel plans.
- The new tax regulations have played the dickens with the accounting department's end-of-year projections.

Usage: Commonly used in the idiom 'to play the dickens with' something.

Teaching tip: Explain that 'play the dickens with' means to cause a lot of problems or damage.

## Examples

- The traffic was the dickens today.
- The printer jammed again, and the whole morning was the dickens.
- The bureaucratic delays were the dickens, turning a simple application into a months-long ordeal of frustration.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.